Democratic, Republican presidential candidates compete in Iowa caucuses
On Monday, February 3rd, the Democratic and Republican parties are holding caucuses in Iowa for the 2020 presidential election.
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In the Democratic primary, Iowa has 49 delegates total: 41 pledged delegates and eight superdelegates.
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The Iowa Democratic Party will release three sets of election results: the number of state delegate equivalents each candidate received, the first vote of caucusgoers, and the final vote that features only viable candidates who crossed the 15% threshold after caucus goers realigned their votes in the caucus process. In the past, only the state delegate equivalent totals were made public.
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In the Republican primary, Iowa has 40 delegates. There is no viability threshold in the Republican caucus.
Trump to deliver his third State of the Union address
President Trump will deliver his third State of the Union (SOTU) address to a joint session of Congress on February 4 at 9:00 pm EST. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) invited him to make the address on December 20, 2019.
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The SOTU fulfills a Constitutional requirement that the President "give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
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Presidents used to give their SOTU addresses to Congress in written form; in 1913, Woodrow Wilson became the first President to meet this requirement by speaking in person.
Trump impeachment trial continues with defense statements, questions by Senators
On Friday, the U.S. Senate rejected a motion to allow witnesses and documents to be subpoenaed by a vote of 51 to 49. A final vote is expected on Wednesday to convict or acquit President Donald Trump (R) of the impeachment charges.
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Trump’s defense attorneys concluded their opening arguments in the trial on Jan. 28.
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Senators asked questions during the trial on Jan. 29 & 30. Under previously adopted procedural rules, senators submitted their questions to the trial’s presiding officer, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. The House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense attorneys then responded to these questions.
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The U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump on Dec. 18, 2019, charging him with abuse of power by a vote of 230-197 and obstruction of Congress by a vote of 229-198.
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For an overview and timeline of impeachment activity in the U.S. Congress, click here.
24 Democrats, eight Republicans running in Maryland's 7th Congressional District primaries
Maryland's 7th Congressional District will hold special primary elections on Tuesday—the first congressional primaries of 2020. Twenty-four candidates are running in the Democratic primary and eight in the Republican primary. The winners of each party’s primary will meet in the general election April 28.
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The 7th District was previously represented by Elijah Cummings (D), who died on October 17, 2019. In the 2018 general election, Cummings defeated Richmond Davis (R), 76% to 21%. The Democratic Party has held the 7th Congressional District since 1953 when the seat was added after the 1950 census. The district contains portions of Howard and Baltimore counties and parts of the city of Baltimore.
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Media coverage has focused on seven candidates—Talmadge Branch, Jill Carter, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, Terri Hill, Michael Higginbotham, Kweisi Mfume, and Harry Spikes—in the Democratic primary.
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On the Republican side, media attention has focused on Kim Klacik, who has criticized Baltimore's current leadership, saying Democratic policies have failed the city. Two other candidates—Ray Bly and William Newton—also ran in the Republican primary in this district in 2016 and 2018.
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According to recent Federal Election Commission filings, Higginbotham led the Democratic candidate field in cash-on-hand, reporting $209,400. Behind him was Mfume with $208,600, Rockeymoore Cummings with $68,700, Branch with $43,500, Carter with $41,600, Hill with $40,600, and Spikes with $8,800. Klacik led the Republican field with $16,600 cash-on-hand.
U.S. Rep. Collins announces he's running in U.S. Senate special election in Georgia
U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) announced that he is running in the special election for U.S. Senate in Georgia and will not seek re-election to the U.S. House. He joins seven other candidates—including appointed incumbent Kelly Loeffler (R)—in the all-party special election on November 3. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a special runoff election will be held January 5, 2021, for the top two vote-getters.
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Currently, there are three Democrats, four Republicans, and one independent in the race. The filing deadline is March 6. Former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R) resigned in December, citing his health. The winner of the special election will complete his term ending January 2023.
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Collins was the 27th Republican member of the U.S. House to announce he would not seek re-election in 2020 and the third Republican representative to run for Senate this year. Nine Democratic representatives have announced they will not seek re-election, two of whom are running for Senate. In the 2018 election cycle, 52 members of the U.S. House—34 Republicans and 18 Democrats—did not seek re-election.
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Currently, Democrats hold a 232-197 majority in the U.S. House with one independent member of the chamber. In November 2020, all 435 seats will be up for election.
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In the Senate, Republicans hold 53 seats to Democrats' 45. Two independent senators caucus with Democrats. There are 33 regularly scheduled Senate elections and two special elections, including Georgia's, in 2020.
Democratic presidential candidates to hold eighth primary debate in New Hampshire
On Friday, February 7th, the Democratic Party will hold its eighth presidential primary debate in New Hampshire. Candidates have until Feb. 6 to qualify. They need to receive at least one pledged delegate in the Iowa caucuses or meet certain polling and fundraising thresholds.
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Seven candidates have qualified so far: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang.
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Two candidates are on the cusp: Michael Bloomberg has met the polling threshold but not the donor threshold. Tulsi Gabbard has met the donor threshold and needs two more qualifying polls.
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The debate will take place four days before the New Hampshire presidential primary.
Congressional candidate filing period to end in Indiana
On Friday, February 7th, the major-party filing deadline passed to run for elected office in Indiana. In Indiana, prospective candidates filed for the following congressional offices:
- All nine U.S. House seats
- Neither U.S. Senate seat is up for election in 2020
The primary is scheduled for May 5, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020.
Sanders leads Democratic presidential candidates in Ballotpedia pageviews for third consecutive week
Last week, Bernie Sanders led all Democratic campaigns in pageviews. His campaign page was viewed 2,795 times, equaling 14.8% of pageviews for all Democratic campaigns this week. He was followed by Joe Biden with 12.4% of pageviews and Michael Bloomberg with 12.3%. The top three Democratic presidential candidates
in lifetime pageviews are Andrew Yang with 164,835, Pete Buttigieg with 154,741, and Biden with 148,696.
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All Democratic candidates received fewer pageviews this week relative to last week. The candidate with the smallest decrease from last week was Bloomberg. His campaign page decreased in pageviews by 0.1%. Tom Steyer saw the largest decrease in pageviews relative to last week among Democratic candidates with 40.2%.
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As in previous weeks, every other Republican candidate led Donald Trump in pageviews. Trump received 2,042 pageviews, while Joe Walsh received 4,128, Roque de la Fuente received 4,021, and Bill Weld received 2,042.
Congress is in session
Both the Senate and the House are in session next week. Click here to see the full calendar for the second session of the 116th Congress.
Where was the president last week?
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On Monday, Trump met with the Prime Minister of the State of Israel.
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On Tuesday, Trump held a Keep America Great rally in Wildwood, NJ.
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On Wednesday, Trump participated in a signing ceremony for the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement.
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On Thursday, Trump spoke at USMCA Celebration with American Workers.
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On Friday, Trump spoke at the White House Summit on Human Trafficking.
Federal Judiciary
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